Suspect had loaded gun at Lowell police headquarters,

reports say Internal investigation launched by Lowell brass

LOWELL -- One of five suspects arrested during a brawl outside the SAC Club early Sunday morning was found to be carrying a loaded 9mm handgun in Lowell police headquarters while he was being booked.

The discovery marks the second time in a month there's been an incident in the cellblock area of the Police Department. On Jan. 13, a 31-year-old woman who had been arrested the night before died in police custody.

According to several police reports, copies of which were acquired by The Sun, Officer Casimir Czarnionka responded to the scene about 1:30 a.m. Sunday to investigate reports of a party inside the club getting unruly.

According to the report, Czarnionka observed Thoeun Kang, 25, of 35 Burnside St., Lowell, "swinging wildly and repeatedly overhanded at a subject" in the SAC doorway.

Czarnionka attempted to intervene and place Kang in custody, but he was surrounded by several other men who were intervening on Kang's behalf, the report stated.

"I had him against the wall of the SAC Club and was restraining him there due to the aggressive nature of the crowd of subjects who were ignoring the repeated orders of assisting officers to disperse and continuously approaching me from my left side yelling at me," Czarnionka wrote. "I then noticed another group to my right who were also now beginning to yell at me and the other officers. At this point, we were largely outnumbered even with additional assistance responding.

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According to one officer on the scene, about a dozen officers were needed at the scene. The officer, who spoke to The Sun on the condition of anonymity, said: "It was crazy. I've been in a lot of brawls, but I've never seen a more unruly, aggressive group of thugs. None of them were respectful of any of our requests. It went from A to Z in the snap of a finger. It was chaotic. I had my hand on my gun the entire time."

Kang and the other suspects, were eventually transported to the Police Department in the prisoner-transport wagon by Officer Paul Thomas. It was in the cellblock, with Thomas present, where a civilian-detention attendant found Kang "to be in possession" and carrying a "small semi-automatic handgun with several rounds in the magazine and an empty chamber in his right jacket pocket."

The gun was not legally registered.

Czarnionka wrote in the report: "I had not been able to frisk Kang after handcuffing him due to the continuous and intentional interference" by the other suspects.

According to several sources, when a Lowell police officer makes an arrest, in nearly all cases the suspect is transported to the station in the "wagon." Protocol calls for the arresting officer to frisk the suspect, as well as the officer driving the wagon. Czarnionka's report appears to indicate protocol wasn't followed in this instance.

Police Capt. Kelly Richardson, the department's spokesman, said no doubt it was a "chaotic" scene outside the SAC club Sunday morning, "but the bottom line is, a loaded weapon should not have made it into the Lowell Police Department's booking window."

Richardson said protocol does indeed call for two searches in the field, followed by a third at the booking window, performed by the officer driving the transport wagon.

"Obviously, this incident will be the subject of an internal investigation to determine whether any policies and procedures have been violated," Richardson said.

Kang was charged with disorderly conduct, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful carrying of a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery.

Also arrested were:

* Sambo Sok, 29, of 16 Sidney St.; he was charged with resisting arrest, threatening to commit a crime and disorderly conduct.

Referring to the suspects, Czarnionka wrote: "It should be noted that subjects involved were recognized as known gang members with long criminal histories."

The private SAC (Sportsmens' Athletic Club) is located at the corner of Market and Hanover streets in the Acre. It is owned by former City Councilor Alan Kazanjian. When reached on his cellphone Wednesday, Kazanjian, now a Dracut resident, hung up.

It marks the second time in a month there's been an incident in Lowell Police Department's cellblock

In the January incident, Alyssa Brame, 31, who gave her address as 94 Rock St., was pronounced dead on Sunday, Jan. 13, about 1 a.m., after she was rushed to the Saints Campus of Lowell General Hospital when police personnel found her unresponsive and not breathing in a holding cell.

She had been booked on a single count of sexual conduct for pay on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 11:07 p.m.

The Sun reported last month that authorities were still investigating Brame's death. At the time, Assistant District Attorney Marybeth Long, a spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone, said the investigation is continuing, but did not provide more details.

Brame's mother, Alice Swiridowsky-Muckle, of Connecticut, said investigators told her her daughter's autopsy was inconclusive, and that they are now awaiting toxicology results, which could take several months.

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